Boat-launching apparatus.



A. GBOHMANN. BOAT LAUNCHING APPARATUS.

7 APPLICATION FILED OCT. 14. I915- 1,265,771 Patented May14,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

3 44 M I I A. GROHMANN.

BOAT LAUNCHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION F!LED ocr. I4. 1916.

1 265 771; Patented May 14, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WIT/V558:

A. GROHMANN.

BOAT LAUNCHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 001114, 1916.

Patented Mayl l, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

ARTHUR GROHMAN'N, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

BOAT-LAUNCHING APPARATUS. I

Application filed October 14, 1916.

To aZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ARTHUR GROHMANN, a citizen of Germany, and aresident of Wilmington, in the county of New Castle and State ofDelaware, have invented new and useful Improvements in Boat-LaunchingApparatus, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to devices for launching boats from the deck of aship.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby all the boatsalined on the deck of a ship may be quickly and safely launchedsimultaneously from both sides of the ship or from either side.

Another object of this invention is to pro vide a launching apparatuswhich is controlled from aboard and adapted to launch the life boatsfrom the boat deck'of the ship and lowered in steps, first alongside ofone of the passenger decks then along another palssenger deck andfinally lowered to the s1 e.

A further object. of this invention is an apparatus adapted forlaunching boats from the deck of a ship and to securely hold the boatsat such a distance from the ship to prevent them from being capsized orthrown against the sides of the ship.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention comprises theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterdescribed, a practical embodiment whereof is illustrated in the accompnying drawing and is embraced within the scope of the appended claims. a

In the said drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of the boatdeck ofa ship showing my improved launching apparatus 3.

Fig. 2 1s a fragmentary sectional elevation of the ship; Fig. 3 is 'afragmentary side elevation of an improved launching device; Fig. 4 is afragmentary front elevation thereof; Fig. '5 is a view in the rear ofthat of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a portion of the ship;Fig. 7 is a view partly in section of the means for operating thelaunching apparatus; Fig. 8 is a view at right angles to that of Fig. '7and Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of a section of the ship illustrating thestep by step launching of a boat from the deck of the ship.

Referring more particularly to the drawing for a detail description ofmy invention,

10 represents the boat deck of a ship,-11

Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Patented May 14, 1918. Serial No. 125,719.

represents an upper passenger deck and 12 represents a lower passengerdeck. 13 represents a davit whose shank is hinged to a bolt 14 mountedin a socket 15 fastened to the side of the ship to allow the davittoswing outwardly of the side of the ship; 16 represents a clamp spanningthe shank of the davit and adapted. to prevent the davit from swinging.17 represents a pair of bolts to each clamp and provided with nutsadapted to tighten the clamp, one ofwhich nuts, may be loosened and the.other; removed from its bolt to permit the clamp to release the davit.Above the shank the davit is arched, as shown, the arched portionpassingthrough a recessof the boat deck.

18 represents a guy having one end fastened to the boat;deck'andtheopposite end connected bya tackle at the topof the davit. 19represents a life boat ontop of the boat deck suspended from afPair ofdavits by tackles 20. Each pair of davits is joined by a rope 20 which,,togetherwith an oppositely disposed pairof guys 18, prevent therelative displacement of the davits.

21 represents a pair of -uides mounted on the boat deck and providedwith cam grooves- 22. 23 represents a rack link provided with teeth onits under surface and having its front end hinged with a davit and itsrear end provided with a roller 24: supported tov roll along the camgroove Off the. guides. 25 and 25 represent countershafts supportedlongitudinally of the ship in front of the guides 21 by hearings orbrackets 26. On each counter-shaft, between each pair of brackets, ismounted a spur gear 27 to mesh with the rack 23, the rack being held inmesh by a roller 28 supported to roll over the top ofsthe rack by abracket 29, said bracket being supported to' swing on the shaft onopposite sides of the gear 27.

30 represents a pair of stanchions provided with bearings for a tubularshaft 31. 32 represents a shaft projected through the shaftBl, one endof the shaft 32 carrying-a wheel 33 and the Opposite end carrying a gear34. The gear 34.- is in mesh with a larger gear 35 carried by a studprovided with a smaller gear 36., 37 represents a larger gear carried bythe shaft 31 and is in mesh with the gear 36. The shaft 31 is providedwith a pair of ratchet-wheels 38 and 38". 39 and 39 represent a pair ofclicks, the click 39 being adapted to engage the ratchet se the. ratchet88 in opposition to that of the I ratchet 39 The shaft 31 is providedwith a worm in mesh with a worm gear l0. The gear 40 is mounted on astud carrying a pair of spur gears an and al i2 represents a standardprovided with a hearing for the adjacent ends of shafts i3 and i3supported transversely of the ship by hearings or brackets 44. Theopposite ends of the said shafts a8 and i3 are connected with thecountershafts by beveled gears The gears 41-1 and 41* are respectivelyin mesh with gears are and 4:6 The gear 46 is carried by a sleeveslidingly lceyed on the shaft 43 and the gear nr is similarly carried bya sleeve slidingly keyed on the shaft l3? A lever 48* is adapted to movethe gear 46" into or out of mesh with the gear 41, and the lever 48 isadapted to move the gear 46 into or out of mesh with the gear e1 2.

From the above description, it will be readily understood that the lifeboats which are shown to he stowed on opposite sides of the loo-atdechmay he launched, and it launched may he stowed either simultaneouslyfrom both. sides of the ship or from either side. Thus to launch theboats from both sides of the ship, the gears to and 456 are moved intomesh by their respective lovers, and when the wheel 32 is turned in thedirection of the arrow, the countersha fts will turn in oppositedirections to actuate the launching apparatus to cause the clavitscarrying the boats to swing outwardly "from the sides of the ship.forcing either one or the said gears at or 46 out of mesh with itscorresponding gear, one of the counter-shafts will be disconnected andthe turning of the wheel 32 will result in launching the boats from oneside of the ship only. It will also be understood that when the wheel 32is revolved in an opposite direction to that shown by the arrow, theprocess is reversed, that is the davits will be caused to swing inwardlyof the side ofthe ship and carrying the boats in position for stowing.

Assuming now that the wheel 32- is turned in a direction for launchingthe boats from one side of the ship only, the motion of the wheel istransmitted by way of the hereinb'efore described gearing andtransversely disposed shaft to the counter-shaft which is thus caused torotate with its gears in a direction to actuate the racks to moveoutwardly from the deck of the ship. it will he observed there is a pairof racks to each pair of davits. Each pair of: racks will, therefore,during the outward movement, force the davits to swing outwardly fromthe side of the ship and thus carry the heat suspended from said pair oid avits away from its cradle 50 and off the heat deck of the ship.Assuming that the davits have been swung in the position shown in thefirst dotted lines in Fig. 9, the boat may then be lowered from thedavits and the clavits caused to swing in the opposite direction tobring the boat alongside the first passenger deck of the ship. After thepassengers of said first deck have boarded the heats, the boats arelowered until they are in line with the second passenger deck. Thedavits may then be caused to swing outwardly of the ship until they arein a position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9 while the boat may belaunched as shown. When the boats are in the water they need not bedetached from the davits, as the davits will prevent the boats frombeing thrown by the sea against the sides of the ship, being heldrigidly by the racks. Thus time may begiven for anyone who remained onboard ship to; reach the boats. Also each hoats crew may first get readyfor operating the boat and wait for the first opportunity when it issafe to steer away from the ship and then .disconnect the boat from thedavits.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages to be derivedtherefrom what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patentis: I V

1. An appa 'atus for launching a life boat from the deck of ashipcomprising a pivotally supported davlt, an actuating mecha:

nism therefor comprising a member "adapted to swing in the plane of thedavit, and a cam engaging said member and controlling and limiting theextent of said swing 2. An apparatus for launching 'a life boat from thedeck of a ship comprising a pivotally supported clavit, an actuatingrack link therefor pivoted to and adapted to swing in the plane of theda-vit, and means for guiding the free end of the link to keep the rackat all times in mesh with a fixed driving pulley.

3. An apparatus for launching life boats from the deck of the shipcomprising a pair of davits to each boat, means supporting the clavitsto swing in a vertical plane, a rack pivotally connected with eachdavit, means for guiding the racks transversely of the deck, saidguiding means provided with cam slots adapted to causethe racks to swingin the plane of the clavits.

d. An apparatus for launching two life boats from a deck on the oppositesides of a ship, comprising apair of davit's. to each looat each pair01" clavits supported to swing in a vertical plane in the directionopposite to that of the other pair, a rack to each d'avit, means forguiding the racks oi each pair of davits transversely of the decldsaidguiding means adapted to cause the racks to swing in the plane of thedavits.

5. An apparatus for launching a life boat from the declr of a ship, apair of davits to each boat supported to swing in a vertical plane, arack to each davit, a cam adapted to guide the rack transversely of thedeck and to cause it to swing in the plane of the davits, and means onboard ship to control the movement of the racks.

6. An apparatus for launching life boats from the deck of a ship,comprising a pair of davits to each boat supported to swing in avertical plane, a rack link with each davit, means for guiding the racktransversely of the deck, a driving shaft, a gear mounted thereon tomesh with the rack, and a roller bearing for the rack supported to swingin the plane of the davits.

7. An apparatus for launching a life boat from the deck of a shipcomprising pivotally supported davits, an actuating rack link pivoted toeach davit and extending crosswise of the ship, a driving pinion forsaid rack link, and a swinging yoke mounted on the same center as thepinion and embracing the rack link acting to hold it at all times inmesh with the pinion, together with camways for guiding and limiting thethrow of the rack links.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR GROHMANN.

\Vitnesses.

C. WILSON ROBERTS, CARRIE E. HAUBERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

